I was there again… with my back against the door… caught in the stare of a vampire. And wanting him. Needing him. Begging him for his teeth in my throat.
“Don’t worry,” Hans said, just loud enough to be heard over violin and cello. “There is no sin in the pleasure of the chase. There is such a mortal pleasure in the freedom of running free for a lot of people, even if you know it will end in capture. So many years of your life you’ve been constricted, forced to behave and think what you’resupposedto think. But that’s all done now. You can run free.”
“And you’ll chase me…”
“Always.” His tone was so primal. “You liked that, didn’t you? You ran with such spirit. It was beautiful.”
I remembered the panting. My heaving chest. His hand between my legs.
And that’s what I wanted now. I wanted to run, away from here, and the images of the past, and the tight reins of my mind. I wanted the fear of the vampire opposite me in the most beautiful of ways, and the certainty of knowing that no matter how fast I ran, he would catch me.
I was his now.
Under the spell of a vampire named Hans.
The strangest urge possessed me. A flash of rebellion so strong it was straight from the core of my soul, fighting against thedo as you’re toldorders of my past, hissed by my mother and grandmother like I was just a stupid little girl.
Hans tipped his head, reading my thoughts.
“Run now, if you want to.”
But did I want to? Did I want to leave this plush restaurant and dash away into the London streets on a mission to outrun him? My body answered for me – my spirit ready to flee.
Yes, I did.
I shot him a smile before I stood up from my chair and walked away. I flashed him a backwards glance over my shoulder once I reached the doorway, and then I rushed away.
My stilettos were awkward and clacky on the pavement but that just served to make it more dramatic. My heart was already pounding before I’d even crossed the street.
I heard a thought in my mind as I reached the corner, giving one final look to the restaurant behind.
Run, little one.I’ll give you a reasonable head start.
My chest flushed hot and my skin prickled with tingles so beautifully it made me grin.
Grin like a fool in the night. This was crazy. CRAZY, but I did it.
Run, little one, his thoughts came again.
And, oh, how I ran!
Chapter Fourteen
Ihadnoideawhere I was heading, but that only made the rush more exciting. My instincts were running free as I threw myself down the nearest steps to the London underground, two at a time, fearing for my life – or broken legs – as I somehow managed to stay on my heels.
There was no way I’d last more than two minutes in a cat and mouse game with Hans if I was reliant on my feet alone. I needed transport.
I took a one-stop journey, switching lines from District to Northern at the Embankment. I was hanging on to one of the carriage poles, my veins pulsing and my feet aching as the train pulled away from the station. I was still so new to London that I didn’t have a clue where I was going.
I hoped my confusion would only spell the same for Hans.
If I didn’t know where I was going, then how could he?
The Northern line took me to Tottenham Court Road, and I bailed from the carriage at the last possible moment, dashing up the escalator as quickly as I could. I glanced up and down the street at all the people around me, minding their own business like it was another easy night in the city.
For them, I guess it was.
So, where from here?